Sen. Kent Conrad, EU Official and American Economists to Discuss Eurozone Crisis and Its Consequences for the U.S. at Thursday Forum in Washington

WASHINGTON -- Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, a European Union fiscal policy official and four respected American economists will discuss the eurozone crisis and its implications for the United States at a forum this Thursday, July 26.

The program, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m., will be at the Committee for Economic Development (CED), 2000 L Street NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20036. CED and The Concord Coalition are presenting the forum, which is open to the public.

Senator Conrad (D-N.D.) will deliver the keynote speech. Stephanie Riso, who leads the unit responsible for fiscal policy and surveillance within the European Commission Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs, will speak as well.

A panel discussion will feature Douglas Elliott a fellow with the Brookings Institution; Simon Johnson, an MIT professor; Joseph Minarik, senior vice president and director of research at CED, and Diane Lim Rogers, Concord’s chief economist. Ed Andrews, a former New York Times economics correspondent, will serve as moderator.

The discussion will focus on the fiscal and economic difficulties in Europe and the various ways in which they could affect both the U.S. economy and efforts in this country to confront its own fiscal challenges.

Featured Speaker: Stephanie Riso, head of the fiscal policy and surveillance unit within the European Commission Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs.

Panelists:Douglas Elliott, fellow, The Brookings InstitutionSimon Johnson, professor of global economics and management at MIT and co-author of the new book, White House BurningJoseph Minarik, senior vice president and director of research, the Committee for Economic DevelopmentDiane Lim Rogers, chief economist, The Concord Coalition Moderator: Ed Andrews, former New York Times economics correspondent in Washington and EuropeAdditional information is available here.

###

CED is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of more than 200 business leaders and university presidents. Since 1942, its research and policy programs have addressed many of the nation’s most pressing economic and social issues, including education reform, workforce competitiveness, campaign finance, health care, the federal budget, and global trade and finance. CED promotes policies to produce increased productivity and living standards, greater and more equal opportunity for every citizen, and an improved quality of life for all.